Device for adjusting the position of flexible strip provided with lateral perforations

ABSTRACT

An apparatus is provided for adjusting the position of a flexible strip which is provided with two rows of perforations. A support is provided with a running surface for the strip, with pins housed in the support which may project so as to enter the perforations. Swinging grippers, which cooperate with the pins, are hinged to the support so as to press the strips against the running surface.

United States Patent 1 Sigel et al.

[111 3,811,609 [451 May 21, 1974 I DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF FLEXIBLE STRIP PROVIDED WITH LATERAL PERFORATIONS Inventors: Pierre Louis Sigel,

Villeneuve-le Roi; Raymond Louis Delorme, Bagnolet, both of France Societe Honeywell Bull (Societe Anonyme), Paris, France Filed: May 29, 1973 Appl. No.: 364,233

Assignee:

US. Cl. 226/52 Int. Cl .i B65h 17/38 Field of Search 226/52, 55,56, 57, 58

[56] ReferencesCited 9 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,058,637 l0/l962 Gerlach 226/58 3,469,752 9/1969 Amos 226/56 Primary Examiner-Richard A. Schacher Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Baldwin, Dwight & Brown [5 7] ABSTRACT An apparatus is provided'for adjusting the position of a flexible strip which is provided with two rows of perforations. A support is provided with a running surface for the strip, with pins housed in the support which may project so as to enter the perforations. Swinging grippers, which cooperate with the pins, are hinged to the support so as to press the strips against the running surface. I

11 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMAY 2 1 1914 saw 3 ur 3 R\ Qmmw w QM DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING THE POSITION OF FLEXIBLE STRIP PROVIDED WITI-I LATERAL PERFORATIONS The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the position of a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations, of the cinematographic film type for example. This device finds an application particularly, although not exclusively, in machines for processing integrated circuits in which, with a view to subsequent handling and use, the latter are fastened to a flexible strip along which they are distributed at regular intervals. The device according to the invention enables certain parts of such a strip to be precisely positioned opposite tools on the said machines.

According to the invention, a device for adjusting the position of a flexible strip provided with two rows of regularly spaced lateral perforations comprises a support provided with a running surface for the said strip, two pins housed in the said support and of which the cross-section corresponds in shape to said perforations and which may project with respect to the said running surface so that one of them may enter a perforation in one of said lateral rows and the other may enter a perforation in the other of said rows, and two swinging grippers hinged to the said support and arranged so that they can press the said strip against the said running surface, each gripper being associatedwith one of said pins and having a forked end'embracing the corresponding pin.

Preferably, the pins are arranged to project simultaneously, while the said grippers are actuated so as to hold the said strip in position while the said pins are entering the appropriate perforations. Thus, once the strip has been roughly positioned by a drive system separate from the said device, the latter, due to its pins, which enter into the perforations makes it possible to complete the positioning of the strip, the forked ends of the said grippers preventing the said strip from being pushed away by the said pins when the latter are not precisely opposite the appropriate perforations.

Advantageously, the device according to the invention incorporates a slider which is able to move in a direction substantially at right angles to the said running surface and which simultaneously controls the projec tion of the said pins and the operation of the said grippers. The working stroke of the slider may take place in opposition to resilient means which tend to move the slideraway from the said support. The pins may be fastened to the slider and pass through the support, whilst the slider incorporates pressure cams intended to cooperate with the said grippers so asto cause them to swing when the slider moves toward the support. Resilient means may be arranged between the slider and the said grippers to return the latter to the open position'when the slider draws away from the support.

Preferably. the cross-section of the pins is such that they rub gently against the perforations with which they are respectively associated.

Where the strip, after positioning, has to be applied (for the purpose of soldering a semiconductor device on the said strip) against a support block (carrying a wafer for example), it is essential for the said pins and the said grippers to be returned to the retracted posi tion before the said running surface makes contact with the said support block (possibly by way of a chip on the wafer). It is then advantageous, in order to maintain the exact positioning of the strip, for the strip to be held in position against the running surface between the time when the pins and grippers retract and the time when contact is made with the support block. To this end, the said support incorporates two passages connected to a vacuum source which open onto the said running surface underneath the said strip. In this way, the strip may be held in position by suction after the pins and grippers have retracted.

Advantageously, the support and the slider have matching perforations so as to allow a tool, such as a soldering electrode, to pass through. The running surface may advantageously be slightly convex.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view from above of an embodiment of the device according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a front view along arrow II of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section along line III-III of FIG. 1 with the pins and grippers in the retracted position,

FIG. 4 corresponds to FIG. 3, the pins and grippers being in their working position,

FIG. 5 is a section along line VV of FIG. 3.

The device according to the invention as shown in the drawings, comprises a baseplate I in the shape of a capital E, which is mounted on a movable fitting (not shown) which can move it parallel to its plane. At the ends of the outer arms of the plate 1 are fixed guide means 2 and 3 for a flexible strip 4 which has two rows of lateral perforations in the same way as a photographic film. At the end of the central arm of the plate 1 are arranged positioning means 5 according to the invention. These means 5 incorporate a support plate 6 (which may be the said central arm of the E) the lower face 7 of which is convex and serves as a running surrear part of the baseplate 1. As it slides, the slider 9 is guided in relation to support 6 by pillars 12, with compression springs 13 surrounding the latter being arranged between the said support 6 and the said slider 9. The angular travel of the clevis arm 10 is limited by a stop 10a secured to the plate I.

The slider 9 is fastened to pins 14 and 15 which pass through the support 6 and are able to project through face 7 so as to enter the perforations in the strip 4. Pins 14 and 15 have a cross-section such that they rub gently against the lateral perforations.

On either side of the strip 4, swinging grippers l6 and 17 are hinged to the support 6 at 18 and 19 respectively. In addition, the slider 9 incorporates cams 20 and 21 which are able to co-operate with swinging grippers 16 and 17 respectively so as to cause the latter to apply the strip 4 against the surface 7 when the slider 9 approaches the support 6.'Tension springs 22 and 23 are arranged between the grippers l6 and 17 and the cams 20.and 21 respectively. The ends ofthe grippers l6 and 17 are formed into forks 16a and 17a, the arms of which can come into place on either side of pins 14 and 15 respectively.

The support 6 is provided with passages 24 connected to a vacuum source (not shown) by a nozzle 25, the said passages opening via orifices 26 into grooves 30 provided in the running surface 7.

The support 6 and slider 9 incorporate matching central openings 27 and 28, which enable a tool, a soldering electrode for example, to pass through.

In the rest position (see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3) the slider 9 is in its position spaced away from the support 1 and the pins 14 and 15 are retracted while the grippers 16 and 17 are withdrawn from surface 7. The strip may thus slide freely over the latter.

When a force F is applied to the clevis arm 10 (see FIG. 4) this pivots about its hinge 11 and the slider 9 approaches the support 6 against the action of springs 13, and pins 14 and 15 begin to project from face 7. As a consequence, they can insert themselves into perforations in the strip 4, which has been roughly positioned by a device which is not shown. At the same time the earns and 21 force the grippers 16 and 17 to swing around their respective hinge-pins l8 and 19 against the action of springs 22 and 23, the arms of fork 16a coming into place on either side of pin 14 and the arms of fork 17a on either side of pin 15.

At the end of its stroke, the slider.9 is resting against the support 6 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) and the pins 14 and 15 are projecting to the maximum extent, whilst grippers 16 and 17 are pressing the strip against the face 7. Due to the cooperation between pins 14 and 15 and grippers 16 and 17, it is possible to position the strip precisely, grippers 16 and 17 preventing pins 14 and 15 from pushing the strip 4 away from the face 7 in the event that the perforations in the said strip are not exactly opposite the said pins.

In this position suction is applied through the nozzle 25 and the strip 4 is applied against the face 7 by suction. It is then possible to remove Force F and to allow the springs 13 to draw the slider 9 away from the support 6. Pins 14 and 15 retract into the support 6 and grippers l6 and 17 move away from the face 7, the position previously arrived at being maintained due to the suction.

We claim:

1. A device for adjusting the position of a flexible strip provided with two rows of angularly spaced lateral perforations. said device comprising a support provided with a running surface for the said strip, two pins which arehoused in the said support and of which the cross-section corresponds to the shape of the said perforations and which may project with respect to the said running surface so as'to insert themselves one into a perforation in one of said lateral rows and the other into a perforation in the other of said rows, and two swinging grippers hinged to the said support and arranged so as to be able to press the said strip against the said running surface, each gripper being associated with one of said pins and having a fork-shaped end embracing the corresponding pin.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the pins are arranged to project simultaneously, while the said grippers are operated so as to hold the said strip in position whilst the said pins are entering the appropriate perforations.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said device incorporates a slider which is movable in a direction substantially at right angles to the said running surface and which controls simultaneously the projection of the said pins and the operation of the said grippers.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the working travel of the slider takes place in opposition to resilient means which tend to move the slider away from the support.

5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the pins are fastened to the slider and pass through the support, and the slider incorporates pressure cams cooperable with the said grippers so as to cause them to swing when the slider moves towards the support.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein resilient means are arranged between the slider and the said grippers in order to return the latter to the open position when the slider draws away from the support.

7. A device according to claim 3, wherein the crosssection of said pins is such that they rub gently against the perforations into which they are inserted settling therein. 4

8. A device according to claim 2, wherein the said support incorporates passages connected to a vacuum source and which open onto the said running surface underneath the said strip.

9. A machine for handling integrated circuits in which the latter are fastened to a flexible strip along which they are distributed at regular intervals, wherein said machine includes a device according to claim 8 for positioning the said strip precisely.

ning surface is slightly convex.

UNITED s'r s BATENT v QFF ICEL; t CERTIFICATE O CORREGTION f Patent NO. 11,60 a fn g ma 1,1974

It is certified that error appears inthe abeveeidentified patent and that said Le-tters' 'Batet1tere hereby'corr'c'ted as shown belbw;

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' (SEAL) 1 Attest: v I v 1 v v v v MCCOY M. GIBSON, JR; 1 I i MARSHALL DANN j I Attesting Officer. ,-f' 1CQnn'n ifsfsioner' of Patents FORM P041050 (10-69) 

1. A device for adjusting the position of a flexible strip provided with two rows of angularly spaced lateral perforations, said device comprising a support provided with a running surface for the said strip, two pins which are housed in the said support and of which the cross-section corresponds to the shape of the said perforations and which may project with respect to the said running surface so as to insert themselves one into a perforation in one of said lateral rows and the other into a perforation in the other of said rows, and two swinging grippers hinged to the said support and arranged so as to be able to press the said strip against the said running surface, each gripper being associated with one of said pins and having a fork-shaped end embracing the corresponding pin.
 2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the pins are arranged to project simultaneously, while the said grippers are operated so as to hold the said strip in position whilst the said pins are entering the appropriate perforations.
 3. A device according to claim 2, wherein said device incorporates a slider which is movable in a direction substantially at right angles to the said running surface and which controls simultaneously the projection of the said pins and the operation of the said grippers.
 4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the working travel of the slider takes place in opposition to resilient means which tend to move the slider away from the support.
 5. A device according to claim 4, wherein the pins are fastened to the slider and pass through the support, and the slider incorporates pressure cams cooperable with the said grippers so as to cause them to swing when the slider moves towards the support.
 6. A device according to claim 5, wherein resilient means are arranged between the slider and the said grippers in order to return the latter to the open position when the slider draws away from the support.
 7. A device according to claim 3, wherein the cross-section of said pins is such that they rUb gently against the perforations into which they are inserted settling therein.
 8. A device according to claim 2, wherein the said support incorporates passages connected to a vacuum source and which open onto the said running surface underneath the said strip.
 9. A machine for handling integrated circuits in which the latter are fastened to a flexible strip along which they are distributed at regular intervals, wherein said machine includes a device according to claim 8 for positioning the said strip precisely.
 10. A machine according to claim 9, incorporating a tool adapted to make contact with the said strip, and wherein the support and the slider have matching perforations to enable said tool to pass through.
 11. A device according to claim 2, wherein the running surface is slightly convex. 